South Korea Forms Government-Wide Task Force on Drones

South Korea will establish a government-wide control tower to consolidate drone policies currently scattered across multiple ministries. The initiative, led by the Prime Minister's Office, aims to create a coordinating body spanning defense and civilian industries to strengthen policy implementation.

According to Seoul Economic Daily's reporting on March 18, the government plans to launch an "inter-agency drone task force" soon. The TF will serve as the decision-making body for drone and counter-drone policies, unifying government efforts on industry promotion, regulatory planning, and counter-drone system development across defense, security, and industrial sectors.

Multiple government agencies will participate in the task force given its cross-governmental nature. The Prime Minister's Office is currently leading the organization, with the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Defense Acquisition Program Administration joining. The National Police Agency, responsible for public security, is also reportedly included.

Beyond government officials, private-sector expert advisors from academia and defense industry companies will participate. Total membership is expected to reach approximately 50 people. The government plans to hold a launch ceremony as early as March 20, with the first plenary meeting on the same day. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will personally chair the inaugural session, with participating ministers in attendance.

"We are finalizing TF membership including ministry officials and civilian experts while setting the agenda for the first plenary meeting," a government official said. "Given the importance of drones demonstrated in the Russia-Ukraine war and the U.S.-Iran conflict, we are moving quickly to establish this task force."

The decision reflects growing urgency over the lack of governance structures despite drones' rapidly elevated status in modern warfare. Decision-making has been fragmented across the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, creating inefficiencies in industry support and regulatory reform.

The government is considering either Prime Minister Kim Min-seok or Office for Government Policy Coordination Director Yoon Chang-ryeol as TF head. Both positions hold authority to coordinate policies and mediate disagreements between ministries, signaling the government's commitment to consistent drone policy implementation.

"Drones are now game-changers in modern warfare," a government official said. "The importance of drone and counter-drone systems continues to grow for both security and industrial reasons, necessitating government-wide governance."

At the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, drones were limited to surveillance and reconnaissance roles. However, the battlefield transformed when Ukraine began mass-producing low-cost first-person view (FPV) drones equipped with explosives for suicide attacks. Russia responded by strengthening counter-drone systems and deploying its own suicide drones, establishing drones as core weapons in modern warfare. The recent U.S.-Iran conflict also saw both nations using various unmanned aircraft to destroy military facilities and disrupt air defense networks.

Defense-related policy development is expected to be the TF's priority agenda. The government is reviewing whether to transfer the military's Drone Operations Command's role of "building drone and counter-drone combat systems" to the task force. This follows the command's potential dissolution, which has disrupted military drone capability development. A civilian-military joint special advisory committee under the Defense Minister recommended disbanding the Drone Operations Command in January.

"The Ministry of National Defense has not yet finalized its position on dissolving the Drone Operations Command," said an official familiar with the TF organization. "Regardless of the command's fate, governance for planning drone military operations is necessary, and related discussions will occur within the TF."

The task force is also expected to discuss civilian drone industry promotion and expanding drone applications in logistics and welfare services. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will lead these agenda items, handling support policies and regulations including drone flight permits.

Domestic drone manufacturers hope the task force will catalyze industry growth. Companies entering defense drone development have struggled to generate domestic revenue due to insufficient unmanned aircraft test flight facilities and military procurement regulations, forcing them to focus on overseas contracts.

"Korean drones lack actual combat deployment experience, and overcoming this to secure competitiveness will likely become a key topic in industry promotion discussions," said a drone manufacturing company CEO. "For counter-drones, integrating and standardizing various countermeasure systems will be a major challenge."